Prince George to attend Eton College from September

Prince George will be going to school at Eton College in September, Kensington Palace has announced.

He will follow in the footsteps of his father, the Prince of Wales, who also attended the private school in Berkshire, where fees are around £63,000 a year.

Pupils start at the school at the age of 13 - and Prince George will be 13 years old on his birthday next month.

As the oldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales, George is second in line of succession to the throne.

There had been speculation about which school Prince George would attend when he finished at Lambrook School in Berkshire, where he has been studying with his sister Charlotte and brother Louis.

Among the suggestions under discussion, which seemed to focus on private rather than state schools, was Marlborough College, the school his mother Catherine had attended.

But a more traditional option has been chosen, with the announcement that George will go to Eton College, the historic private school founded in the 15th Century, where 20 British prime ministers have studied.

Prince George's uncle, Prince Harry, and great uncle, Earl Spencer, also attended the elite boarding school for boys.

George will now become a boarder, with the school having 25 boarding houses, with each having approximately 55 pupils, looked after by residential staff headed by a house master.

"Some boys take to boarding like a fish to water; others take a minute to settle in," writes the Good Schools Guide about Eton College, which says the school provides each boy with a private single room.

Melanie Sanderson, the school guide's managing editor, says Eton has "spectacular facilities and spacious grounds".

"Yet despite its ancient buildings, it is a modern school with a progressive outlook.

"Most 13-year-old boys arriving there in September cannot possibly know what adult life holds for them.

"Prince George, however, faces a very particular future and his parents, with an unrivalled choice of schools available to them, have decided that an Eton education represents the best preparation for life as a modern working royal," she says.

Among recent politicians who attended Eton have been Lord David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Old Etonian celebrities include Eddie Redmayne, Dominic West, Damian Lewis and Tom Hiddleston.

Prince William, interviewed when he was aged 18, had spoken of enjoying his time at Eton.

"I've really enjoyed being able to go about Eton as just another student," he had said in June 2000.

The costs for Prince George will include the VAT added by the government to private school fees.

Prince George was seen at the weekend with his parents and siblings at the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London.

He has been gradually introduced to a public role, including going with his father Prince William to help at a charity for the homeless at Christmas.